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The Bangladesh XI came into this match desperate to make make amends for a slip-up against World XI in their first game, and proved that they are up for winning this tournament

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

After a good ICL 20-20 Indian Championship, Shahriar Nafees stepped up against the India XI © ICL
The Bangladesh XI came into this match desperate to make make amends for a slip-up against the World XI in their first game, and proved that they are up for winning this tournament. Aftab Ahmed and Alok Kapali played handy contributions in a five-wicket, last-over win, but it was Shahriar Nafees’ splendid unbeaten 70 from 54 balls that finished the job in tense fashion. Totals around 160 had proven tough to defend all season, and India will rue that no batsman apart from their captain, R Sathish, went on to score something substantial.Bangladesh lost Nazimuddin in the opening over of their chase, slogging Rajamani Jesuraj’s fourth ball to third man. That brought Nafees to partner Aftab, and they took after the attack like there was no tomorrow. Nafees slapped ten in two balls from Rakesh Patel while Aftab, having been dropped on 4 by Sathish on the long-on boundary, executed the paddle shot superbly against the medium-pacers. The Aftab-Nafees stand had added 52 in 6.4 overs before Aftab missed a slog-sweep and was bowled by Inder Shekhar Reddy for 26 from 18 balls.A middle order collapse hurt Bangladesh when they chased against the World XI. Then Kapali failed after a successful outing in the previous tournament, but here he clicked. Kapali got off with two slogs – one for six, the other for four – against Reddy and meted out similar treatment when Sathish brought himself on. His third six came off Patel, a lovely lofted drive over cover, and it inspired Nafees to saunter out of his crease and deposit Ali Murtaza for the biggest six of the night. Nafees’ striking remained crisp and never did he look flustered.Kapali fell for a 23-ball 44 just after striking his fourth six, Jesuraj steadying himself and holding onto a big hit to deep midwicket (112 for 3). With 34 needed from 22 balls, Nafees clipped Patel off his pads for six and eased past his half-century from 45 balls. Mohammad Rafique was promoted to No. 5 and fell for a 13-ball 16 in the 18th over to give India a slight chance, with 18 needed off 14 balls. An appeal for lbw next ball was turned down, and just seven had come from Murtaza’s over.India, however, goofed in the 18th over. Jesuraj bowled a wide, Ambati Rayudu dropped a sitter at long-off to reprieve Nafees, only to hold onto Golam Mobad next ball, and Nafees was allowed to get back on strike for the final over. With 11 to win off six balls, Reddy let the ball go through his legs at deep midwicket first ball, and very next ball Nafees slammed six over long-off to level the scores. The third ball was driven to mid-on, and the batsmen crossed.India had the momentum after their win against Pakistan XI yesterday but Bangladesh checked their top order after electing to field. Tapash Baisya just gave one run in his first over and had G Vignesh snapped up at third man in the fourth over. Ibrahim Khaleel was allowed to free his arms and strike a few lusty blows – the best of which was an inside-out six off Rafique – but Kapali accounted for him in his opening over, the eighth.That wicket slowed the run rate, and Kapali and Rafique tightened up. Mosharraf Hossain was introduced in the 11tth over and struck immediately, drawing a false shot from Rayudu. In Mosharraf’s second over, Hemang Badani came waltzing out only to miscue a booming drive to deep extra cover. The two batting heroes from India’s win over Pakistan had fizzed.Stuart Binny struck two sixes off Mosharraf but attempting a third, was brilliantly held by a tumbling Mabub at long-on, who dived forward and took the ball inches from the ground. Then Sathish unloaded with a series of stunning shots – deep midwicket, deep extra cover and long-on were all pinged will alarming authority. Sathish took three sixes off Mosharraf’s final over, the 18th, each one hit ever so firmly. Baisya gave away seven runs in the penultimate over, dismissing Reetinder Singh Sodhi, and India lost three wickets in the final six balls. Jesuraj was run out off third ball, Sathish sliced the fifth to long-off, and Murtaza was caught short of his crease on the last. Sathish’s 44 came from just 20 balls.

Crystal Palace have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Watford midfielder Will Hughes after seeing an opening bid for the 26-year-old rejected.

What’s the story?

The Eagles have been heavily linked with a move for the former England under-21 international in recent weeks after he turned down the offer of a new deal from his current club.

Hughes will be a free agent in 12 months’ time after entering the final year of his contract at Vicarage Road and has attracted the attention of multiple top-flight teams as a result.

According to The Sun (17 August, page 51, via HITC), Watford have rejected a £5m bid from Palace for the combative midfielder, with Xisco Munoz’s charges holding out for a £12m fee.

He’s a big upgrade on Riedewald

In Patrick Vieira’s press conference on Friday afternoon, the Frenchman admitted that he needs some added strength in depth in the middle of the park despite the arrival of Conor Gallagher on a season-long loan.

“When you look at the squad, we are maybe a little bit more light on numbers, and we are working hard to improve the squad (with) the window are still open. We will try to bring players that can improve our squad,” revealed the former Nice boss.

“I think where we are maybe a little bit more short is upfront and in the midfield, I think it would be good to reinforce those positions.”

With the departures of Andros Townsend, Michy Batshuayi and James McCarthy, it’s easy to understand why Vieira feels the need to address the aforementioned positions, and Hughes could be a significant upgrade on the current engine room options.

The Derby County academy graduate joined the Hornets back in 2017 in search of Premier League action and established himself as a solid top-flight player during his time at the club, scoring five goals and laying on a further eight assists in 77 appearances in England’s top division.

Javi Gracia, one of his many former Watford managers, lauded the defensive-minded maestro after an impressive return from injury, saying: “I think he did a very good job in the time he was on the pitch. He was very clever made a very good assist, and took care of the ball. I think he was very good for us.”

It seems clear that Vieira and Palace would benefit from his arrival. As per WhoScored, Hughes recorded an average of 1.9 tackles per league game last term and 1.2 interceptions, outperforming Jairo Riedewald’s tallies of one and 0.9 respectively.

It wasn’t just out of possession where Hughes excelled, either. The Englishman pulled off 0.6 key passes per game throughout 2020/21, bettering Riedewald’s 0.4 and showcasing his ability with the ball at his feet.

As a result, Palace chairman Steve Parish may be tempted to increase his offer for the Englishman, but whether he’s prepared to match the £12m asking price for a player who will be out of contract next summer remains to be seen.

In other news… CPFC receive boost in pursuit of “magnificent” £15.3m-rated gem, Vieira would love him 

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim is confident his batsmen can negate the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan in the upcoming two-Test series at home against Sri Lanka, starting on Friday in Dhaka

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2008
Mushfiqur Rahim will be looking to improve his Test average of 18.59 in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka © Getty Images
Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim is confident his batsmen can negate the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan in the upcoming two-Test series at home against Sri Lanka, starting on Friday in Dhaka.”The Sri Lankan bowling has a lot of variety especially in the longer-version game but without any doubt, Murali is the main threat,” Mushfiqur said. “It was not so easy to read his but what I feel is that now we can read it much better.”The 20-year-old has a reason to feel positive, as his highest score of 80 came against the same opposition in Colombo last July. His 191-run partnership with Mohammad Ashraful in that match though couldn’t prevent Bangladesh from losing by an innings.”I’m now more mature to handle this bowler while Ash [Mohammad Ashraful] had a good record against Sri Lanka as he’s got some runs against them. He proved that nothing is impossible,” he said.Mushfiqur has played 12 Tests and, in addition to the 13 catches and one stumping, has scored 409 runs at 18.59 – a statistic he will be keen to improve on.He also believed the batsmen needed to be courageous enough to survive against Muralitharan, the highest wicket-taker in Tests. “It would be unwise to be bogged down against him [Muralitharan], rather we have to be brave enough to handle him. We have to make sure that we rotate the strike to keep the scoreboard running,” he said.Mushfiqur remained optimistic despite Bangladesh’s two previous series losses against the only teams they have played this year: New Zealand and South Africa. While they lost 0-1 in the two-match series at home to New Zealand in October, they lost both Tests in South Africa last month. Bangladesh have played eight Tests in 2008, losing seven and drawing a rain-affected game.”We want to play good positive cricket in the series. I think we already proved that we have got the ability as a team to play good cricket but the problem is that all of the departments like batting, bowling could not click simultaneously. Anything can happen if our bowling and batting click together,” said Mushfiqur.Mushfiqur, who is a lower-order batsman, said he was ready to bat at the top if needed, though his main focus would be to serve the team first. “For me the team comes first. I am ready to bat at any position. The main thing is to contribute something for the team.”

Carlton Palmer has urged Sam Johnstone to get his head down as he continues to struggle to secure a move away from West Bromwich Albion.

Johnstone has been linked with an immediate return to the Premier League after he was unable to stop the Baggies from suffering relegation to the Championship last season.

Among the goalkeeper’s suitors were West Ham United, who saw a £10million bid turned down last month.

The Hammers have since moved on to other targets and signed Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan deal, which has the option of making the transfer permanent, instead.

As a result, a switch to London Stadium looks increasingly unlikely and the 28-year-old has made two appearances since West Brom’s new campaign got underway earlier this month.

Although Baggies head coach Valerien Ismael has admitted he expects Johnstone to depart the Hawthorns, it is now becoming more likely he will remain at West Brom beyond deadline day.

Ex-Albion midfielder Palmer is adamant Johnstone should not be disheartened by a lack of transfer activity as he will win promotion back to the Premier League by sticking with his current employers.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Palmer said: “Sam’s got to be professional, get his head down and keep playing.

“What he doesn’t want to do is be out of the side and then be out of the England set-up. He signed a contract at the football club and the club decides whether they want to sell you or not and what price they want for you. If none of that works, then you get your head down and play your football.

“At the end of the day, he is a fantastic goalkeeper and I think West Brom will be back in the Premier League come the end of the season, so he will be back where he wants to be.”

Questions have been raised by former players over India’s schedule for next month’s New Zealand series, which does not include a single practice match for the entire 48-day assignment comprising three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 matches.

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Jan-2009
The extra Twenty20 game on the tour was added after a request from the New Zealand side © AFP
India’s schedule for next month’s New Zealand series, announced today, has raised questions over the lack of any practice match through the 48-day tour. An extra Test was included in the revised schedule – comprising three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 matches – in place of the practice game that was originally scheduled, leaving no opportunity for India to acclimatise to unfamiliar conditions.Former India captains Dilip Vengsarkar, the previous chief selector, and Bishan Bedi, who was manager of the team that lost the 1990 series in New Zealand, criticised an itinerary that will not allow the team to acclimatise to the conditions – cold, windy and conducive to swing bowling, and vastly different from those in the subcontinent, where the team played for most of last year – in a match situation.”It is very important to play not one but at least two practice games to acclimatise to the conditions and the pitches because it takes time to settle,” Vengsarkar said. “Practice is different compared to spending time in the middle. In New Zealand, the weather conditions and pitches are different to what we experience here. The ball moves around a lot, the pitch is spongy and you take time to adjust to that. The Test players could have done with at least a two-day practice game.”Bedi said the current schedule presented a no-win situation for India. “A practice game is meant for the visiting team to get familiar with the local conditions before the real contest,” he said. “So, it (scrapping the practice game) is not a very healthy development. New Zealand is very much like England, and it is very cold. Going from the comparatively dry weather in India to New Zealand is always difficult. It is a no-win situation for India. If they do well, it will be deemed as expected, and if they don’t, it will be said that they are not professionals.”Sanjay Bangar, a member of the Indian team that lost both Tests on their last tour of New Zealand, in 2002-03, said the players, particularly the Test specialists, needed more time to adapt to the extreme conditions there. “The last time, the conditions were pretty extreme and I guess they will be similar this time too,” he said. “The Test-only players will need more time to adapt.”India played one practice match in Sri Lanka last year, one in Australia before the Melbourne defeat, and two in England a few months before that. In fact, the only away bilateral series in the recent past in which India did not play a warm-up game, was in Bangladesh in 2007Lalchand Rajput, who was coach of the Indian team in Australia last season, said a similar lack of match practice during the 2007-08 series, after rain marred the team’s only three-day warm-up game, contributed to the 337-run defeat in the first Test in Melbourne.”Not even one full day’s play was possible (India batted for 48 overs against Victoria) and that had a role in our subsequent defeat in the first Test,” Rajput said. “The practice game allows you to get used to the prevailing conditions as quickly as possible and to do that, you require at least one or two games.”Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer though, said due diligence had been carried out before the schedule was finalised. Asked whether the players were consulted on the schedule, he said: “We looked at all issues before finalising the itinerary.”New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said it was committed to providing the best practice facilities for the Indian team, especially the Test players, under the supervision of John Wright, the former India coach. Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, said the extra Twenty20 game was added after a request from the New Zealand side.”I spoke to the BCCI and made a very strong committment that we will provide, particularly for the Test-only players, the very best practice opportunites in New Zealand,” Vaughan said. “John Wright, the former Indian coach, who now works with NZC, will take the responsibility to make sure that the players get adequate practice arrangements.”India played one practice match in Sri Lanka last year, one in Australia before the Melbourne defeat, and two in England a few months before that. In fact, the only away bilateral series in the recent past in which India did not play a warm-up game, was in Bangladesh in 2007.The original New Zealand tour schedule did have a practice match but that was later scrapped to accommodate an extra Test on a request from the BCCI after it was forced to cancel its January tour to Pakistan following a government directive.India have not won a Test in New Zealand in over three decades, and apart from the loss in the Test series last time, they were beaten 2-5 in the ODIs.

Reaction in the aftermath of the abandoned Sabina Park Test

02-Feb-2009Reaction in the aftermath of the abandoned Sabina Park TestMichael Atherton: “It was clear before the game that the pitch was uneven and corrugated and it was only going to get worse. The umpires took the decision to call it off and I think it was the right decision. The pitch was dangerous. The safety of the players was paramount. The senior umpire was in constant touch with the match referee. I was called out and had a chat with Brian Lara, and the officials. Both captains said that conditions were unfit for Test cricket. I don’t want to get into worst pitches, but I repeat it was dangerous. That’s why the decision was taken.”Alec Stewart: “When you were batting there were balls doing more than they should have done. You knew you were going to take hits. It was just a case of when and how many.”Ian Botham: “The pitch is not worthy of international cricket. It’s a disgrace. Someone is going to get seriously hurt.”Wayne Morton (England physio): “There was a bit of war out there and you always fear for a batsman’s safety. You don’t often see too many apologies from West Indian fast bowlers but they seemed pretty embarrassed by it. It was a very busy morning, possibly the busiest I’ve ever known. You always fear for batsmen’s faces, particularly on a wicket behaving like it seemed to be doing this morning. There are medals for bravery to be taken, but at the end of the day we want to play on a level playing field. I’m not too keen on losing players with fractured digits or serious injuries every morning.”Brian Lara: “Cricket has to be played on a fair surface.”Michael Holding: “I’ve never seen a pitch as dangerous as that. The people responsible should be brought to task. This pitch isn’t fit for Test cricket or even club cricket for that matter. It’s completely substandard. Our fast bowlers don’t want to seriously injure anyone at all. It’s an embarrassment.”Barry Jarman (match referee): “Venkat got in touch with me and said, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘I think it’s horrific.’ I told him, ‘You do what you want to do and you’ll get support from me.’ I spoke to Mike and Brian and they said, ‘We both agree it’s too dangerous and someone’s going to get seriously hurt’. The pitch is just nowhere near up to standard.”

Liverpool have made a move to bring Yves Bissouma to Anfield this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Express, who claim that Jurgen Klopp’s side have submitted an enquiry with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding the price of the central midfielder, with the German manager believed to have been interested in the 24-year-old for a considerable amount of time.

The report goes on to state that Graham Potter’s side have subsequently informed the Reds they would require a figure in the region of £40m in order to part with the Mali international, although the Seagulls are under no pressure to sell, having already received a £50m fee from Ben White’s sale to Arsenal earlier this summer.

Finally, it is claimed that Liverpool could face competition for the signing of the midfielder from both Manchester United and the Gunners, who are also thought to be extremely keen on the Brighton man.

Klopp must move

With Georginio Wijnaldum and Marko Grujic both having departed Liverpool earlier this summer, Klopp has been left somewhat short of players capable of operating in defensive midfield.

While Naby Keita, Thiago and Jordan Henderson can all be played in the role if needs must, aside from Fabinho, the 54-year-old manager does not have any natural options in the position, something that Bissouma’s signing would more than address.

Indeed, since his arrival at Brighton from LOSC Lille back in 2018, the 24-year-old has gone on to prove himself as one of the standout defensive midfielders in the Premier League – something illustrated by the £22.5m-rated man’s form for Potter’s side last season.

Over his 36 Premier League appearances for the Seagulls last term, Bissouma made an average of 1.8 interceptions, 2.9 tackles, 1.8 clearances and won a whopping 6.3 duels per game.

These returns saw the man Gary Lineker dubbed an “exceptional” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as Brighton’s fourth-best performer in the top flight.

For comparison, over Fabinho’s 30 league fixtures for Liverpool last season, the Brazilian made an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 2.2 clearances and won 4.9 duels per match, as well as earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Klopp to do all he can to secure the signing of the £25k-per-week midfielder prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline, as Bissouma clearly has the ability to not only plug a gap in the Reds’ squad but to push Fabinho for his starting spot in the team.

In other news: Bye-bye Origi: Klopp must replace LFC dud with “special talent”, fans would love it

According to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has made a transfer deadline day revelation involving 8-cap USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers and Torino.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers secures last gasp move…

Carter-Vickers did in fact manage to secure a move north of the border to Celtic in the final hours of deadline day.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, the 23-year-old joins former Spurs goalkeeper Joe Hart in Ange Postecoglou’s quest to restore the Parkhead side’s dominance of Scottish football from arch rivals Rangers.

However, before the centre-back agreed to an SPFL switch, a Spurs source has explained that another side tried to get in there first.

The Latest: Carter-Vickers rejects Torino move…

As per Football Insider’s Lilywhites source, Carter-Vickers rejected a last minute move to Torino before his agreement to join Celtic.

Chairman Daniel Levy even personally signed off on the transfer and accepted a loan bid from the Serie A side.

However, Carter-Vickers himself said no as he preferred to stay in the United Kingdom – later revealing to Celtic TV that Hart played a major hand in convincing him to join the Bhoys.

The Verdict: In for a ride…

Choosing Celtic over the Italians certainly comes as the right move if he wants to part of an interesting campaign.

All eyes are on the Hoops and Postecoglou’s full debut season in charge of the club, especially after Rangers dominated the Scottish top flight last season.

For Carter-Vickers, if he can impress, this loan move could be the start of a promising career.

In other news: ‘Finished article’…Sky pundit in awe of Spurs starlet who’s an ‘improved version of Ndombele’, find out more here.

The Commander of the British Forces XI has drawn first blood in the three-game South Atlantic Ashes in the Falkland Islands, winning the opening match against the Governor’s XI by 105 runs

Tony Munro05-Feb-2009
Cricket on the Mount Pleasant ground in the Falkland Islands © Cricinfo
The Commander of the British Forces XI has drawn first blood in the three-game South Atlantic Ashes in the Falkland Islands, winning the opening match against the Governor’s XI by 105 runs. The CBFs, representing the military, notched up 203 in their 50 overs, before the Governor’s XI, drawn from the island’s civilians, were dismissed for 98.It was the first serious game of what is going to be a busy 18 months for cricket in the islands.In July, 2010, the Islands will be the third team in a unique triangular tournament in Scotland featuring teams from geographical locations all sharing the name Falkland. They will join Falkland CC from Perthshire, which will be celebrating their centenary and Falkland CC from Berkshire in England.The story of how the three locations came to be known as Falkland is interesting.”The Viscount Falkland was King Charles I deputy commander at the first battle of Newbury in the English Civil War in approximately 1634. His son was Charles II, Secretary for the Admiralty, in 1682 when the Falkland Islands were discovered and were named after him. His stately home was Falkland Palace in Perthshire,” explained Falkland Islands Cricket Association official, Roger Diggle.The first battle of the Falkland cricket XIs, however, will actually take place next month when the Berkshire club visit the islands for the Falkland Cricket Festival in the first week of March. They will take on a Stanley XI civilian team, a Mount Pleasant side, drawn from the military, and a Combined Falkland Islands XI. The club will then head off to Chile.During the Falkland Cricket Festival two junior matches will also be played to select a representative Under-18 team to tour Chile.Meanwhile, the second Ashes match will be played on February 14 and the decider on March 7. The teams will play for a trophy, which features a bird hatching from an egg representing the birth of the mythical Phoenix.There’s also a four team Twenty20 league involving Kelpers and Stanley, drawn from civilians, as well as military teams, Mount Pleasant and Royal Navy.The Falkland Islands Cricket Association is also in the process of raising funds to lay a cricket pitch in Stanley. At the moment matches are played at the military base at Mount Pleasant, which requires a two-and-a-half-hour round trip from the town. “It will allow midweek matches and the 20/20 league to develop,” Diggle said.The amount of cricket played in the Falkland Islands has increased significantly. The South Atlantic Ashes was a social match played once a year which has expanded into the three-game series while the Twenty20 league is now in its fourth season.

Football Insider pundit and former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has tipped Adam Forshaw to leave the club in January.  

The Lowdown: Forshaw’s return

The 29-year-old has missed a whopping 71 games for Leeds over the past few years due to a hip problem.

However, Forshaw has now returned to full fitness and made his first start for the club in 697 days against Crewe Alexandra in the Carabao Cup.

The central midfielder has also made all three of Marcelo Bielsa’s Premier League matchday squads this season, however, Kenny thinks he could be next to leave.

The Latest: Kenny’s comments

Kenny was talking to Football Insider about Forshaw’s future at Elland Road.

The 43-year-old thinks the Whites could look to cash in on the midfielder in the New Year when he would then have just six months remaining on his contract.

“I think there’s a real possibility that he might go in January.

“If he isn’t pushing for the first team, I don’t see why they wouldn’t try and get something for him before he leaves at the end of the season.

“It’s been difficult for him because we know he’s had his injury problems.

“But unless he comes and does something different and gets a run in the team, I can only see him moving on really.”

The Verdict: Not likely

Leeds didn’t add to their central midfield ranks this summer, with Victor Orta recently revealing that Forshaw’s return to fitness was one of the reasons why a midfield acquisition didn’t materialise.

Should Forshaw, on £60,000-a-week, remain fit throughout the campaign, his presence will almost be like a new signing after being sidelined for so long.

You’d expect that, should he stay healthy, a new contract could be forthcoming for Forshaw, who was on the books during Leeds’ 2019/20 title-winning season, so a January move may not be on the cards as Kenny thinks.

In other news: ‘Shocked it didn’t happen sooner’ – Pundit reacts to ‘great’ Leeds news on ‘exceptional’ ace.